See you in StarClan
by The Fantasy Spinner
Summary: When Firestar goes to StarClan, who does he choose as his mate? Spottedleaf, his mysterious first love, or Sandstorm, his spirited mate through thick and thin? A poll's on my website to choose your first pick! (HIATUS)
1. A New Life

_The pale ginger she-cat crouched down in the meadow, beautiful green eyes the same color as the sun-dappled grass around her. Across the meadow, a fiery orange tomcat was sitting in a clearing,dark emerald eyes oblivious to anything but the tortoiseshell she-cat opposite him. Stars twinkled in all the cat's fur, sparkling like diamonds in snow. StarClan._

_The ginger she-cat padded up to the pair, slipping silently through the grass. "Firestar." She called. The tom turned, orange pelt turned to flame by the blazing sun. "Sandstorm!" He cried. "You-no- why? How? I thought-" Sandstorm sighed. "How long has it been since you checked in on your Clan, Firestar? On me? I came here today, Firestar. Just now, in fact. I thought you'd be glad to see me, even if you didn't like the reason why. But things have changed, I see." Her voice was soft, a trace of bitterness in it. "But I haven't said my hellos yet. How are you, Spottedleaf?" The tortoise-shell turned, sympathy sparkling in her blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Sandstorm." She sighed. "But after all these years, to finally get your dream, your love. It's irresistible, and I hardly ever saw him in dreams-" _

_She broke off, but it was too late. Sandstorm drew back, green eyes wide in shock. "You-you said it was the one time!" She hissed at Firestar. " 'I saw her just once,' you said. You lied to me, Firestar. I-" she stopped, continuing softer, slower. "I thought, you know, that maybe you loved me more than her. I thought maybe I was beautiful enough, nice enough, to match up with the great Spottedleaf. No, I'm nothing, Firestar. When they pass down the histories of ThunderClan, I will be forgotten, dust. So have your medicine cat, Firestar. I love you too much to see you unhappy." She walked over to him, and licked his muzzle one last time, savoring his warm scent. Then she turned, tail down. "No matter what happens, I'll never forget you, Firestar. Even though you forgot me." She whispered and walked into the forests of the stars._

Sandstorm stretched, the walls of her den soft with feathery moss. StarClan had great moss, that she had to admit. Even if they never slept, the dens were comfortable to rest in or eat your dinner. And the cats were nice, on the whole. It was so good to see her parents again. And Bluestar! She never got over the shock of seeing all these cats who she had been separated from for so long right here, like nothing had ever changed. _But it had..._Sandstorm pushed the thought away. Today was her second day in StarClan. Yesterday, she had gone to see Firestar. It was the first thing she had done. She thought he would be so pleased, so happy, returning her dedication and affection...but he hadn't. An overwhelming wave of sadness washed over her, a whole lifetime of love thrown away like crowfood. She wanted to wail her grief to all of StarClan, but a rustle by the entrance of the den stopped her.

"Hi, Sandstorm." A beautiful silver furred she-cat appeared by the door. Dramatic black tabby markings shone on her glossy fur, and her blue eyes were kind and playful. Sandstorm felt a light of recognition, but her mind was hazy as to a name. "Don't you remember me?" The tabby asked. "I'm Silverstream. Greystripe's-" She stopped herself. "The mother of Greystripe's kits." Sandstorm thought or a second, then remembered. Greystripe had taken a new mate. "I'm sorry." Sandstorm said. "It must be hard fr you- and Millie." Silverstream's eyes softened. "I'm sorry about Firestar." She sighed. "I would never wish that on any cat, not even Millie. I tried speaking to Firestar, but..." "I'm fine." Sandstorm said quickly. She barely knew this cat. "Why are you here?" she added. "Oh! I'm going to show you around StarClan." Silverstream mewed. "We'll start in the main clearing."

She led the way out of Sandstorm's den- a bracken-and-fern construction- into a huge clearing, with dens all around her. "This is where the new arrivals stay." She said. "We only give you a den for the first few days. After that, most cats get used to time without sleep. When you first come here, your body is so used to rest it must have a few days to adjust." She padded away, past a huge oak, until they reached the sun-dappled meadow Sandstorm had visited yesterday.

"This is the Meadow of Light." She explained. "This is where many cats come to relax or hunt. The prey is plentiful here, but most cats like the challenge of the Starwood better." She flicked her tail at a forest on the horizon. "That's where we're going next." She broke into a run, and Sandstorm followed her. It felt good to run. Here, she never tired. It was like she had wind racing through her blood, fire and ice coursing through her veins. They raced until they reached the border of the forest. The ground was spotted with the shadows of leaves against the bright sunlight. Inside, the air was cool but not freezing. It felt like drinking from a clear stream on a hot day. Sandstorm opened her jaws to taste the air, and the scents of prey overwhelmed her, squirrel and rabbit and vole and thrush and starling and even toad. "You can hunt, if you'd like." Silverstream offered. "There is always a fresh-kill pile for elders and kits, but here the Clans are always fed. No? Come on, then." Silverstream padded through the undergrowth until they came to a trickling stream. The silver tabby bent to drink, and indicated that Sandstorm do the same. The water was pure and sweet, and instantly she was filled with a rush of energy.

"It is not advisable for mortal cats to drink our water or eat our prey." Silverstream warned. "It will fill them with strength, but too much of it can bring them to StarClan for good." She padded on until the sun started to settle, drenching the horizon in a tinge of they reached an abrupt drop, as if the whole time they had been on a hill and didn't know it. Jagged spires of dark rock snaked off the side of the cliff like menacing thorns. At the bottom, so far down Sandstorm had to crane her eyes to see, was a grey lake and the gentle swish of water. Mist rose out of tall dead trees. The whole place seemed dark, the rolling mist ghostlike. All the fear Sandstorm had ever experienced seemed to rise up in one dark tide, a mountain of "what ifs" and warnings and the unknown and dark shadowy places of the night. "What _is_ that?" Sandstorm stammered. Her words seemed loud, somehow disturbing the haunted, chilling...not beauty. But somehow, a sense of justice, a sense that this was not a mindless wasteland, that the scales were finally even.

"It is the Dark Forest. The Place of No Stars. The Kingdom of Night. The Shadow Hills. The Other Place." Silverstream answered softly. "Cats, condemned because of their horrible deeds, roam there. Tigerstar. Scourge. Sharptooth, maybe, though it is cats of the Clans that walk those hills. No prey fills you there, no water soothes your throat. Night and Day have no meaning, stars are dreams of the past. You fade away, into nothingness. It is Nothing. It is hell." Sandstorm felt an icy trickle of dread run down her spine. "This can't be...part of StarClan?" "No, they are separate Clans, separate borders. There is our sentry." Silversteam flicked her tail at the silhouette of a cat, sitting on a nearby ledge. "Come on. I'll show you the Starstone." She abruptly turned tail and ran, her paws merely touching the forest floor for a second, as if she, too, was eager to outrun the demons in the Dark Forest. They ran, and the cliff faded into the distance.

When their paws slowed and night started to fall, a small glade lay ahead of them. A faint light seemed to come from it, like a million fireflies glowing inside. As they approached, a faint sound reached Sandstorm's ears. It was not a cat's meow, nor a dog's bark, or even a badger's roaring bellow. It seemed almost like the sound of birds, though it was high, then low, blending together in some sort of pattern that thrilled her heart. She had only felt something similar twice, once on the day she knew she was in love with Firestar. The other time, she had been walking by herself in the old forest when she saw a Twoleg. A trace of sounds were coming from reeds attached to its ears. But that was faint. This- sense- filled her heart with pure, unbridled joy and emotion. "What is it?" She said, amazed. Silverstream, too, had been listening to the song with delight. "Music." She answered. "Twolegs can make it, though we can't really. But sometimes you hear it, in a charming voice or a bird's coo. StarClan is the only place else where you can find it." Sandstorm was amazed. Who knew Twolegs could produce such beauty, as well as such destruction?

Instinctively, she padded toward the glade, as the music and the glow got louder and louder, more sweet and rapturous. She stepped into the light and gasped. A beautiful stone, the size of the Great Rock in the old forest, sat in the middle. It was like the Moonstone, but more dazzling than anything she had seen before, a veritable sparkle and blaze, like the glint of sunlight on water. The edges were faceted into many shapes. A strand of moonlight hung from the tip of the glade, illuminating it with a silver light. Many colors seemed to glint in it, but when you stepped closer it shone like the brightest silver, pure and clear. "I've never seen a stone like this before." She breathed. "We don't know what it's called. But we call it the Starstone, for it shines as brightly as a star." Silverstream answered. She felt a strange force pulling her forward. She turned to see Silverstream looking at her with kind blue eyes. "Go on." Silverstream nodded and she stepped forward, touching her nose to the stone.

It was cold, ice, but it filling her body with a strange rapture and strength she had never felt before. Beside her, Silverstream did the same. "Close your eyes." Silverstream murmured and Sandstorm obliged. Instantly, she dropped like a rock. She struggled to get up, but she could not move. The strength she had felt before was gone, her body felt utterly exhausted. A sharp twinge of pain traveled through her body, soon escalating into intense agony, as if a thousand claws were stabbing her, a thousand rocks hitting her, her body ripped to shreds. She tried to cry out, but her mouth would not move. Instead, she looked desperately at Silverstream beside her. Her blue eyes were sympathetic, but calm. "Your mortal life is fading away." She said softly. "Do not panic. There is a price to eternal life." Her voice was faint, far away. Then, the strangest sensation happened.

She felt as if she was being lifted away from her body, leaving it as a limp heap beside the Starstone. Even as she watched, the ginger pelt faded, dissolving into stars. She dropped down to the ground., life once again weakly surging through her. She trembled, but looked down her, half expecting to see air where her paws used to be, but her ginger pelt was there. However, there was a difference. She looked over her shoulder. Scars and wounds, greying fur and thinning pelt had disappeared. She was young and strong again, a blaze of strength radiating from her. Weakly, she rose to her paws, looking at Silverstream, still standing besides her. "Congratulations." Silverstream mewed, and it sounded as if many voices echoed in the glade, echoing all around her. "You're a warrior of StarClan now."

**Well, there you go! My first update! A little tedious, I know. I just wanted to explain what happened to cats when they came to StarClan. I don't really think they should be able to just prance up there and live on fat mice for all of eternity. Hence the old life being stripped away, all the pain, out-of-body stuff, yeah. Oh, and on the Dark Forest: I apologize for the one swear word, but I thought it might be OK if I actually used it in context, so sorry about that. **


	2. Heartbreak

**Thank you so, so, so much for all the FABULOUS reviews you guys gave! Honestly, I felt like I was about to cry when I saw some of your guys reviews. I didn't though, because I don't cry unless I'm super sad or in deep pain. And no, they were not super mean. In fact, they were all so nice and supportive. One reviewer (you know who you are, I LOVE YOU) said they loved it and my writing was superb (or something equally nice). So I thank you! And I'm really sorry about the author note thing, for you guys that pointed that out. But I didn't know about it and you guys weren't mean in your reviews. So thanks for the reminder! Sorry, you don't need to listen to my babbling. Onward with the story!**

A single shaft of sunlight cut through the shady cool of the forest, turning the dark leaves to a yellow-green. It fell on a handsome tom sitting in the meadow. His ginger pelt turned to a flaming orange in the light, almost masking the glitter of starshine in his fur. His dark emerald eyes searched for some indescribable sign only he could see. A fern rustled and he leaned forward eagerly, tail-tip flicking. He gave his fur a short lick, drawing a paw over his ear casually.

The leaves trailed behind a starry tortoiseshell coat as a she-cat slid out from the ferns. She was beautiful in that way that made you look twice, once to see and again to take it all in. The tom's heart did a little skip when he saw her beautiful blue eyes, like sparkling pools of water. Her achingly familiar scent wreathed around him as they touched noses. "Hello, Spottedleaf." "You look well, Firestar. Handsome, in fact? Why have you come to see a medicine cat?" Spottedleaf teased. "Can't a cat have friends?" Firestar replied as they padded along the cool ground, pelts almost brushing. "You've been my friend ever since I came to ThunderClan, Spottedleaf." He continued affectionately. "In StarClan and in ThunderClan." They meandered along, breathing in the fresh new-leaf air. "It's so beautiful today." Spottedleaf murmured. "It always is..." Firestar replied, but the words "when you're around" died out on his tongue. His pelt grew hot, and he increased the pace so he was a step ahead.

"Firestar?" Spottedleaf asked. "Yes, Spottedleaf?" "Do you miss Sandstorm?" The tortoiseshell murmured, blue eyes fixated on a tree behind him. Firestar caught his breath at the unexpected question. A pang of loss filled his heart, as it did whenever he thought of the ginger she-cat that had been his mate, that had left him when she saw what not even Spottedleaf saw. That his heart belonged to a tortoiseshell pelt now, and starry blue eyes and a sweet scent that wreathed around him. But it was not a pang of lost love, but rather lost companionship. It had been good to be two, instead of one, and Sandstorm had been a good friend, there through thick and thin. But no. It was not love, not that old feeling that had thrilled his heart when he walked into the medicine cat den. That feeling that he had given up on, until now new life was breathed into it. 

"I-I miss her as a friend. I miss her companionship, and of course I miss Leafpool and Squirrelflight. But there's no romantic love for her in my heart, Spottedleaf. " He gathered up his courage and spoke now, lest the words remain on his mouth forever. "That spot's for you now, if you'll take it." Spottedleaf stopped dead in her tracks, sky-blue eyes filled with an unanswered question. _Do you really mean that? _"Truly." Firestar replied. The medicine cat sank to her paws, and Firestar did the same. Her blue eyes were filled with love-and something else.

"What's wrong?" Firestar asked, alarmed. Spottedleaf said nothing, absorbed, apparently, in a withered leaf on the ground. "I lied, Firestar," she said, looking up at the former ThunderClan leader with eyes filled with concern. "Lied?" Firestar echoed. _What could she lie to me about? _"When you came here...I welcomed you. I told you that life was different in StarClan, that we could be together finally...We can't, Firestar." She looked into his eyes, holding his gaze with worried blue eyes. Firestar reeled back in shock. "But-why?" He croaked. "Why did you even do this to me?" It seemed like moons until she spoke. "I was jealous. Of you and Sandstorm. I knew if you went to her...you would forget me. And I would have all of eternity to watch." Firestar remained silent, thoughts whirling through his head. _I love her, and she lied to me. Because she was jealous. Now she's ruined any chance I ever had at love. _

"So...that's all?" He mewed flatly. "You were jealous, you led my mate to leave me, and now you say we can't be together after all? Did you even love me? Are you not willing to meet in secret, anything?" He knew he sounded like a needy loser, but every fiber of his being was protesting. It felt so right, being with Spottedleaf. He couldn't lose the one shot he had at true love. Spottedleaf opened her mouth, then closed it. "No." She finally choked out. "No, I can't do this. Firestar...if I gave up my calling as a medicine cat to be with you...do you know how many times I've tried to help ThunderClan? It's been my passion, my duty while I'm in StarClan, is guiding this Clan. If I gave that up to be with you...I don't know what would happen. I'm sorry, but...it's over between us. It's best if you find another she-cat...one who loves you enough to give up anything for you. I want to be friends, Firestar, but we both have to accept the truth. It would never have worked." She stood up and padded off, her dappled pelt merging with the green forest leaves, leaving only a faint sweet scent where his heart had been.

**Sorry for the poor writing, but I just wanted to convey the point here. Poor Firestar! Ditched by two cats. I know, the natural course is for him to get back together with Sandstorm, but...considering her fiery nature, do you think she'd want to go back? Or will he really find that other she-cat Spottedleaf was talking about? Review and tell me what you think a) will happen and b) should happen. I'll try my best to make them the same! **


	3. Brother

Faint slivers of mist wreathed around the slender tortoiseshell as she perched atop a ledge. A clear waterfall gushed down the river next to her, spraying gentle flecks of mist into her blue eyes, darkened with sadness. A soft thud of paws on rock alerted her to a new visitor, an older blue-gray she-cat. "Spottedleaf." The she-cat murmured, dipping her head. Spottedleaf said nothing, just stared down at the cold rock. "Spottedleaf!" She repeated insistently. The tortoiseshell twitched her ear but remained silent. "SPOTTEDLE-" "Leave me alone, Bluestar!" Spottedleaf hissed. Bluestar backed up, eyes flashing in surprise at this attack from the gentle medicine cat. Her dark blue eyes lit up in understanding, and she twitched her ear. She waited two heartbeats, then cautiously made her way over to Spottedleaf, flicking Spottedleaf's shoulder with her tail in a comforting gesture. The two she-cats sat quietly before Bluestar spoke.

"You did the right thing, Spottedleaf. For you, for Firestar, for ThunderClan." Spottedleaf's blue eyes flickered. "How? What if Firestar was the only thing that led me to help ThunderClan?" she whispered. "Then nothing will!" Bluestar spat. "Face it, Spottedleaf. You had your chance, and you made the right choice to let him go! You cannot catch a feather after you have let in drift on the breeze." She finished, sounding like Confucius. Spottedleaf got up and ran. Anywhere. Unicorn Cake Land, the Dark Forest, she didn't care. Just run, run until her paws ache, that's all that matters, because Firestar was gone, and she had sent him away. Her heart ached, remembering the look of heartbreak in those dark emerald eyes, the way his tail had brushed the ground, drooping as he padded away through the trees...go, go,go, faster, until you outrun everything, don't care where, just get away, far away...

An angry hiss startled her and a flash of black pelt blinded her vision as she stumbled over something soft. "Hey! Watch where you're going, you-" A familiar voice cut off. "Spottedleaf?" Spottedleaf ran over to the sleek black tom a tail-length away. His fur was ruffled from the collision, but his amber eyes darkened as he sensed the miserable state of the medicine cat. She stared down at his one ginger front paw, drinking in his warm scent, so close to hers. "Deathfang..." she whispered. She wanted so badly to just collapse and wail like a kit, pouring out her troubles and misery to him, her last family. Deathfang. The brother no one remembered she had, the brother who had loved her more than all else and set her paws on the path to being a medicine cat. Memories, painful memories, flowed back on her. Not just memories of Firestar. Other memories, ones she never wanted to relive again...

_The spotted apprentice strolled through the woods, enjoying the sun on her fur, the mouthwatering scent of catnip in her mouth. The shadow-pelted apprentice with the ginger paw padded beside her, a clump of yarrow clutched in his jaws. They set them down on some moss, Deathpaw wincing at the bitter taste. "Why do you get to carry the catnip?" He moaned. "I'll never be able to wipe that taste out of my mouth. Blegh!" Spottedpaw purred with laughter. It was nice to see her shy, abrupt brother get out of his shell for a little while. If only her Clanmates knew this funny, energetic side of him, instead of the prickly, silent apprentice they thought he was. They padded through the green forest, relishing the cool breeze on their sun-warmed pelts. "Let's hunt." Deathpaw wandered through the bushes, scenting the air. Spottedpaw dipped her head in agreement and wandered through the woods, jaws open. A few scrawny mice, a squirrel chattering on a branch, but nothing big. Then the scent of hare drifted across her jaws, mouthwateringly fresh. She followed it silently to a deserted burrow. Crouched in the shadow, nose twitching, was a huge hare, almost as big as she was. It gazed off into the distance, unaware of the dappled pelt sneaking up behind it. Spottedpaw paused, then leaped. It thrashed, nearly shaking her off, but she held on desperately, killing it with a quick bite to the spine. "." She panted, collapsing in the cool shade of the burrow. An unfamiliar scent drifted across her nose, and she tipped her head. A slight vibration shook the earth, and then a low, deep, grumble from behind her made her blood turn to ice. _

_Spottedpaw quaked in fear, not daring to turn her head, petrified. She could make out a bulky body, a striped face, two beady black eyes, glittering like cold hard , she recognized with a pang of horror. She dared not move. Better be bitten like fresh-kill than be swiped down with a blow from that huge, blunt, claw. _This is it, _she thought as the huge shape reared up on its paws, a thundering bellow filling the cave. _I'm going to die. _She braced herself for the blow, but it never came. A single black blur came whipping across the woods, barreling into her with such force she was thrown backwards against a tree. "Deathpaw!" She gasped. The badger roared in anger, lunging, grabbing the sleek apprentice and shaking him from side to side. Its massive teeth closed down on him and he lay limp, like a plucked flower."No!" Spottedpaw yowled and sprang forward, raking her claws along the beast's back. It reared back in pain, flinging Deathpaw over against a boulder, then lumbered back into its den.  
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_She raced over to her brother, fear rushing through her as she saw his limp body, blood rushing from his wounds. Light still burned in his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say something. "No, don't move! Stay right there. I'll get some herbs, we'll fix this!" Spottedpaw begged. Her mind raced. Cobwebs, marigold- "Don't... Spottedpaw." She whipped around. Deathpaw struggled to his feet, ignoring her protests. "It's no...use." He gasped. "Nothing...can be done." He limped over to her, licking her ear. "Go. Become a medicine cat. It's your destiny, you know. I'll see you in StarClan, Spottedpaw. I will walk in your dreams forever." _

**So what do you think? I'm considering doing a little thing on Spottedleaf's life before she met Firestar in all of her chapters. We never know that much about her, and it's rare in the books that cats have one kit per litter. Hence, her brother. Oh, and Spottedleaf has met her brother in StarClan before, of course, but she was pretty much an emotional wreck just now and all she wants to do is cry to her brother. She ran into him, if you couldn't tell. This chapter was one of the worst so far, because there's not much happening with her right now. The next chapter will be Sandstorm. It goes like this: Sandstorm, Firestar, Spottedleaf, Sandstorm, Firestar, Spottedleaf, etc. **

**As always, please review! It'll make this story that much better, therefore making it that much more fun to read! Thanks **


	4. Friends

The pale ginger she-cat raced through the Starwood, enjoying the wind in her fur, the afterlife flowing through her veins. Stars twinkled in her fur, duplicated in the depths of her large green eyes. Her sleek coat rippled as she strided across the sky, her pelt glossed with a sheen of silver in the moonlit forest. Prey rustled around her, and- a cat's voice, one she knew like the back of her paw.. "Oh. Hi, Sandstorm." She halted, skidding to a stop beneath a beech tree, heart fluttering like a butterfly caught in her chest. She felt like her pelt would burn off. "Firestar." She kept her tone cool, detached, not giving away the alarm going off in her mind. "What are you doing here?" Sandstorm forced herself not to stare into those dark emerald eyes, to run her eyes across that reddish ginger fur, paled a trifle in the moonlight.

"I could ask you the same thing." Firestar mewed, a hint of a purr working the way into his mew. Sandstorm ignored it. "What are you doing here?" she repeated, ice dripping from every word. "Hunting." Firestar mewed quickly. His green eyes darkened for a second, the way they did when he lied. "You must be a lot worse than I remember, because prey is practically falling from the sky and you haven't caught a thing." _And with not even a hint of a smile. You're getting better at this, Sandstorm. _Firestar looked bothered. "All right, so I wasn't. I was just...thinking." he admitted. The words spilled out of her, a reaction so familiar she couldn't help it. "About what?" Firestar looked sideways at her, as if he was evaluating whether he could tell her. _He used to tell me everything, _she thought with a pang. Then she remembered his meeting Spottedleaf, his _loving _Spottedleaf, and she told herself to shut up.

"I...asked Spottedleaf to be my mate." He said slowly. A sharp stab of pain pierced Sandstorm, and she clenched her jaws shut to keep from crying out loud. _NO! It can't be. He's gone forever, for all of eternity. _She would never feel his soft breath ruffling her fur as they slept side by side, never race through the forest, letting all their worries go in the wind in their fur. No more would he confide in her, pour out his troubles to her as a leader of ThunderClan. No, Spottedleaf would do that now. She resisted the urge to wail like a kit. Sandstorm opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a little gasp of hurt. Memories of all their time together threatened to engulf her, drowning her in a flood of love and pain.

Firestar looked at the ground. "She said no." He mewed softly. A wave of relief flooded through her, like cool water after almost dying of thirst, followed by uncertainty. "Idiot." She murmured. Firestar looked taken aback. "She's an idiot to refuse you." Sandstorm clarified. "Do you really think so?" Firestar questioned, tipping his head. "Just kidding." The words almost came to her mouth. But a sudden blast of memory interrupted her. _Sandstorm, ThunderClan honors your courage and honesty. _Firestar had told her in Sorrelpaw's apprentice ceremony. Truth. Knowing what was right, what was in your heart. It was important to Sandstorm. Firestar deserved the truth, if nothing else. "I don't say much I don't mean. This isn't an exception." She murmured.

"Thanks." Firestar murmured. "You're welcome," she replied_. _They stood awkwardly for a second, not meeting each other's eyes. "Sandstorm?" "Yes?" "Doyouwannacomeonawalkwithme?" "What?" Sandstorm said. She could have sworn he said, "Do you want to come on a walk with me?" "Do you?" She stepped back, surprised. "Go on a walk?" "Yes." Firestar said impatiently. A slow bubble of excitement rose up inside her, soon tempered by disdain. "I see now. It all makes sense. Little Miss Perfect Spottedleaf didn't work out, did she? So now you're settling for me, second place. Is that all I'll ever be to you, Firestar? A consolation prize?" She hissed. She couldn't believe the nerve of this cat. "For goodness sakes, is this how loyal you are to all your mates? Spottedleaf broke it off with you, what, yesterday? You sure got over it fast."

"Is that all you think of me? You think I'd do that to Spottedleaf?" Firestar's pelt was bristling, his eyes flashing. "Well you did it to me!" Sandstorm snapped. "I'm sorry!" Firestar retorted. "I don't want to start anything romantic, okay? I'm not ready for that. Just- friends. Old friends, taking a walk." Sandstorm paused. Could she believe him? "Fine. But not tonight, Firestar. Find me tomorrow." She mewed and turned, racing off into the silver blaze of the stars.

"Hey, Sandstorm! Wake up." Huh? What was that noise? Sandstorm cracked an eye open. A pair of light blue eyes were staring into hers. A silvery grey blur hovered just outside her vision. She got up and stretched, more from habit than anything else. She wasn't really tired anymore when she got up. In fact, she only slept for a couple of hours for a day, or even two days. "Silverstream? What's up?" She purred. The silver she-cat had proved to be a good friend to her, showing her the rest of StarClan and spending time with her. "Um...Firestar's waiting. He says he wants to talk to you? Something about a walk." Sandstorm remembered their conversation last night and looked up. Tinges of pink were just starting to appear in the eastern sky. "Crazy fluffball." She sighed. "All right, Silverstream. Show me the way."

They padded through a row of trees, weak light barely illuminating the slender branches. It was crisply cold, and Sandstorm shivered, her fur fluffed up. A reddish tomcat was waiting by a holly bush. "Hi, Sandstorm." He greeted her. His flame colored pelt was fluffed up as a protection from the wind. "Firestar." Sandstorm sighed. "It's not even sunrise yet. Why don't you just come back later?" A little part of her screamed, _You idiot! What are you doing? Go with him! _She squished it, mentally. "Can't." Firestar mewed. "We're going to visit Leafpool and Squirrelflight."

**Well, what do you think? I always enjoy writing Sandstorm's POV because she's been through the same things Firestar has, but she's never gotten to express her opinion about it. Next chapter may be a break from tradition and be Spottedleaf, but I'm not sure. Also, sorry for not updating sooner! I know I haven't updated in a month, but I've been having serious writer's block lately. I also feel that my writing's been getting worse, and I hope to have a return to the best next chapter, so expect lots of fun! Oh, and here's a question for you reviewers: Do you think Firestar really wants to be just friends with Sandstorm, or is he going to try to win her back? Please review! It's my fuel for writing.**


	5. Author's Note 1

**Author's Note**

**To my fantastic readers,**

**As I have been suffering from writer's block recently, I** **admit I haven't really wrote anything of Chapter 6 lately. Part of this is due to the fact that I have no less than 11 story/one-shot/songfic ideas tumbling around in my brain and I just had to get them down on the computer. And, of course, the thrill of a new story being what it is...so I've kind of been abandoning this story to write other ones, which I have not actually published yet. However, I have the first chapters of several of these written, and I am going to publish them in the next week or so. Add that to my writer's block, general laziness, not much interest (Don't worry, I still love my little story dearly, but the middlish is always the hardest to write for me) and my limited laptop time, I ask you to give me a few weeks to get Chapter 6 done. I know, I know. I promise to get back to a normal schedule soon, but this is just to kind of tell you some of the reasons for my slow progress and assure you I am not yet dead. I will be sure to tell you if I am.**

**On a different note, thank you to all my reviewers! Here they are in all their glory: **

**Oscuro Dream, Rottedheart Of The River, Moonglacier, Mistyflower68, SparrowKeeper, iPinkNinja, ponyiowa, Watercolour Cat, BrownFang-The-Uniwolf, Hunting In The Midnight Shadow, and Veni0Vidi0Vinci. **

**Thank you and I assure you I shall type again ASAP.**

**Another thing: I have one of my stories published, about Tigerstar and Sasha. It's called ****Sasha's Path.**** The summary: How did Tigerstar's romance with Sasha really come to be? Sasha is a rogue of BloodClan when she meets the brave Tigerstar and wishes to join the Clans. But first she must escape the rule of Scourge and accept her life in the forest- can she? (straight from summary)**

**Anyway, I'll keep on writing. For all you new readers, review...for all you old readers...review some more so the next chapter will BLOW YOUR MIND! I hope. Not really. At least it might be good. **

**Love you all, **

**The Fantasy Spinner**


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